Julia's Hope

Like countless others in 1931, Samuel Wortham lost his job. And he lost his wife's inheritance, their home, and much of his self-respect. Samuel, his wife, Julia, and their two young children hitchhike from Pennsylvania to Illinois in hope of work. Caught on the road by a sudden storm, the Worthams take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse out of desperation.

Feeling oddly at home, Julia insists on finding the owner of the property, despite Samuel's objections, and asks for permission to stay. The owner is Emma Graham, a woman in her eighties who longs for home but can no longer live by herself. Emma and the Worthams work out a plan to live there together and restore the farm. Samuel struggles with not being able to provide for his family, and Julia and the kids confront unpleasant surprises when a busybody neighbor turns against them.

Julia's Hope is an endearing story of faith and faithfulness as Emma teaches the Worthams to live fully, give generously, and love unconditionally. She insists that the family grow where they are planted, like the garden they tend, and each member of the family is forever changed by her wisdom.

From the Back Cover

"I loved living inside this book!" Janice Daugharty, author of Like a Sister

They Needed a Home.
She Needed a Family.
What They Found Was a Miracle.

After the great market crash of 1929, families everywhere are falling on desperate times. Raised by a grandmother who instilled a love for simple pleasures and the good, wild things growing on God's earth, Julia Wortham is determined to make a decent life for her children. Her husband, Samuel, carries the shame of losing his job, their home, and Julia's savings. He also bears the impossible burden of providing for his family.

Then circumstances force the family to seek shelter in an abandoned farmhouse-and to find mercy in a stranger's heart. Emma Graham, the elderly owner, is indeed merciful. But there are others who will stop at nothing to drive the family from the farm. Meanwhile, Sam and Julia's fears could compel them to abandon the one place they and their children long to call home.

As the unusual bond between Emma and the Worthams deepens, each person sees with increasing clarity the truth that "there is a time for everything under the sun." Filled with both joy and hardship, those times will create a harvest greater than any of them have ever known.